texcoug

Thanks for posting about the quality of Jacob's through pass.  Perfect pace and angle.  Too many times, those are over-struck. Great game.  I thought Vidor moved the ball around real well (PNG too).  Good work by both teams. 

Congrats for Silsbee.  Seems like you have some good support here -- keep it up.  Glad to see soccer picking up steam all over this area.

Thanks for keeping soccer threads updated and alive.  Your work is appreciated.

Vidor wins 2-1. 

I have watched three games of the Pirates now.  In all 3, Vidor dominated possession (at least 60/40 last night, 70/30 against Ozen, and 60/40 against Central), tripled or quadrupled the shots on goal of the other team, had 6x more corners (tells you who is winning the possession game), and lost two of the games in not so close fashion (3-1 to Central, 2-0 to LCM).  Puzzling.  I did think that LCM did a better job in the middle than Central did, but still, very few chances that I saw from LCM.  The Keeper from Vidor is going to have to make a save at some point.  (I don't credit the long shots without pressure).  Bottom line is, you have to assume that the other team is going to get a shot on goal from scoring range -- the GKs have to save some of those.  Credit to LCM's GK for making several saves.  Arsenal is going into a match today against Barcelona with the same issue -- Barca will shoot on goal, will the keeper save one?  Tottenham's keeper did yesterday (twice) and they beat AC Milan in Italy.  Keepers have to save shots on goal.  And, while Vidor had plenty of close range shots, most of them were over the field goal.  The closer you are to the goal, the lower the shot needs to be.  Vidor must have had 6 shots from the box in the second half and I only remember one challenging the keeper (and it was straight to him). 

GK from Ozen did a great job fending off shots at all angles.  It was only a matter of time before Vidor scored.  Good work by Vidor of pushing through.  Ozen played back entire game but Vidor kids stuck with it. 

[quote name=".1Corona1." post="961287" timestamp="1296880345"] Thanks... What do you think of Central this year? [/quote] I think Central is strong up front.  I like #9 as a CF -- he was as unselfish as he was good as a finisher.  There are some weaknesses in the back and middle -- that is why you lose possession so much.  If Vidor would have slowed down on the attack, they could have exploited their strength there.  I will watch them again.  I like the short throughs on attack.  And, up front, Central has some good finishers.  The last goal was a one-touch off a bounce from the left foot for #17.

First HS game I have watched in a while.  I was impressed with the quality of play (compared to my last experience).  I thought Vidor was the stronger team and handled the ball better, but Central's forwards were much more effective than Vidor's.  Central didn't have many chances but they made the most of the ones they had.  I think Vidor had close to 10 corners to 1 for Central.  Odd game.  Kudos to #9 for Central -- great goal, but I think he assisted with the other two goals. 

[quote name="texasrm25" post="960579" timestamp="1296749266"] Kelly Nederland Central Vidor PNG Lumberton HF Livingston Liberty Silsbee Jasper BC Ozen [/quote] This looks about right.  Central just beat Vidor.  I would say that Vidor looks like the stronger team, but Central's forwards made the most of the very few chances they had, while Vidor controlled the field but seemed to force poor shots.  I also thought Central's goalie played well.  Also, is Jasper really that low?  I have not seen their HS team, I just know their teams generally are more competitive. 

I would assume Kelly Varsity would be #1 -- my bad.  I was thinking of Dist 37 & 38. Jasper Twisters will hit before 5 years.  First wave has hit high school, but a big wave will hit next year.  (Vidor has a wave coming too -- for girls first, then boys a couple years later).  

Some truly funny stuff here.  Where did Ron Burgundy go?

Rather than focus on Dist 37 or 38, how would the power rankings look if they were merged?  I assume they have to playoff eventually anyway.  Nederland, PNG, Vidor, Central, Lumberton, Jasper, Silsbee, Livingston, LCM and the rest.  How are they rated?  I am committed to getting more involved in HS (even though my oldest is in 7th).  Boys Cumulative 1.  Nederland 2.  Vidor 3.  PNG 4.  Lumberton 5.  Livingston 6.  Jasper 7.  Central 8.  Silsbee 9.  LCM 10.  Ozen 12.  H. Fannett 13.  Liberty 14.  BC    For girls, has the Jasper wave started to hit shore yet? (or should I say Twister) Once it does, it will be non-stop for years to come.  Can South County (PNG - Nederland) compete with Lumberton?  What is the status now.  I know what it will look like in a few years.  Same for Lumberton -- those are going to be some epic matches. 

Wow -- this thread took a wrong turn.  I coach and train competitive club teams.  At the same time, I work and talk with HS soccer coaches.  I am sure some schools fail to provide an athletic program without a coach who has a depth of understanding on the topic -- happened to me in high school with basketball and tennis.  My football coaches were great -- just that my basketball and tennis coaches were football coaches too.  I don't know that that exists anymore.  And, while you may make observations about a HS team and how they play, you cannot necessarily conclude that is coaching style.  A good coach plays the hand he is dealt.  It may be that he prefers a possession game, but is over-matched in a certain game to utilize it and, instead, has to sit back and wait for the counter.  That happens all the way up the line (just watch Netherland's approach vs. Spain in World Cup final).  That is good coaching.  I would be willing to bet that EVERY club team from this area has found itself in that exact position in Cup or Tournament play (or Div I season).  We just don't have the numbers to compete with Albion, Challenge, Texans, Lonestars, etc.  I will say that soccer enjoys a unique relationship with its clubs -- I think baseball is going that direction with Select (and Sun Devils, etc.).  But the nucleus of soccer is the club.  Club is were the premiere kids get max. exposure (not all, just more) (through DI, ODP, College Showcases).  But, that is not to say the HS kids with no club experience cannot excel or that the HS coach cannot get college placements for kids. It depends on your coach.  I think the best scenario is for all of it to work together.  I know our HS coach appreciates the club work we do and, likewise, we are thrilled to have a knowledgeable soccer coach who has a passion for the game and deep understanding of it.   

Congrats to the teams tonight.  I thought that the 7 run comeback by the Vidor 2 all stars against Groves was exciting.  I thought Groves had the game but Vidor rallied to score 10 in the 6th to take a 3 run lead.  The score before the inning was 12-5.  Great game -- ended 15-14.  Not sure any of the teams will challenge Vidor 1.  A big reason is that Vidor has done a good job of keeping the core together and incorporating select baseball with league rather than lose players altogether.  I know a lot has been said, but, again, the field looks great.  Wow.  Great work and kudos to the entire field crew. 

Love how you sand bag rob.  Fun read.  BTW -- did you say which TC you were? 

Saw the bracket -- no pool play, just double elimination. 

Now you get to play aa Rob -- make sure and play the World Series -- it is a lot of fun. 

I heard that the format was going to change to pool play.  That would require a lot more games. 

The finals are set -- the Vidor Dodgers will play the Vidor Tigers tonight for the championship.  Congrats to both teams.  The Cubs lost their first game of the year in a close one to the Tigers.  The Dodgers looked great beaten the previously unbeaten A's from Orange.  Good job to all the boys.  Good luck to both teams tonight -- should be a very good game.

Vidor Red Sox beat the Vidor Angels.  Vidor Tigers beat the Orange Nationals.  The Tigers and Red Sox will play in one quarterfinal. The Vidor Royals defeated the Vidor Pirates.  The Royals will play the Orange A's tonight.  The Vidor Dodgers defeated the Orange Braves.  The Vidor Dodgers will play the Groves Dodgers tonight.  The Cubs (Vidor) and Rangers (Orange) also play tonight to complete the quarters.  The winner of the A's-Royals will play the winner of the Dodgers-Dodgers tomorrow night.  The winner of the Tigers-Red Sox will play the winner of the Cubs-Rangers in the other semi.

Orange and Vidor are making a lot of noise, but the Groves Dodgers may be the loudest.  The only Vidor team to be eliminated thus far was against the Groves Dodgers.  They bye and play the winner of the Vidor Dodgers and the Orange Braves.  The Orange A's have won 2 and are waiting on the winner of the Vidor Royals and Vidor Pirates -- two evenly matched teams.  The A's are the top team from Orange and are solid throughout.  The Orange Rangers crushed the top Twin County team -- the Scrappers and are set to play the Vidor Cubs one Tuesday.  The Rangers have some big sticks and the Cubs are tough defensively -- it will be a good game.  The Vidor Tigers play the Orange Nationals and the winner of that game will play the winner of the Vidor Angels and Red Sox, who both advanced from Day 1.  Monday will have some good games, but I expect the Vidor Dodgers to win easily as well as the Vidor Tigers.  The other two games pair all Vidor teams.  Both games are too close to call.  Tuesday will be the interesting day with Orange's top team playing either Vidor 4 or 5 placed team.  Then Groves Dodgers will most likely face the Vidor Dodgers -- a very stout team that sits in 3rd place. 

Good job PNG.  Keep us posted. 

Orange A's won going away against the Groves Rangers and the Vidor Angels won a close one over the Orange Cardinals before the rain stopped play.  Tournament picks up tomorrow.  Vidor Red Sox vs. Twin County Rattlers and Orange Indians will play the Vidor Royals in the early games (I believe that they are starting around 10 AM). 

Let me correct my prior post -- closest thing to 6U unless you are part of the Roughrider program (I have a feeling they are playing at that age too!)

The closest thing to 6U baseball in this area -- the PONY Shetland Director's tournament will be played out in Groves starting Saturday.  25 teams from Groves, Orange, Twin County, and Vidor.  Should be a good tournament.  The Vidor teams will be competitive and I have heard that there are some strong teams from Orange and Groves.  Twin County always comes ready but I have not heard anything about their squads.  Good luck to all the teams.